Blackwater staff serve as grant management specialists for federal programs including the FHWA Surface Transportation Block Grant Program, Transportation Alternatives (TA) Set-Aside, and the National Recreational Trails Program (RTP) administered by SHA. 

 

Blackwater manages project awards and works with a variety of non-profit and Local Public Agency (LPA) sponsors to design and execute projects of varying scale with a $1 to $25 million annual budget. We coordinate with MDOT SHA-internal and sponsor staff to obtain NEPA clearance, ROW certification, procurement, and process sponsor invoicing for reimbursement.

 

Blackwater develops internal processes for coordination with SHA Office of Materials Technology for materials clearance and SHA Office of Structures for structures review and approval. We update process manuals and templates for procurement, invoicing, construction inspections, and sponsor reporting to align with federal regulations and improve program oversight of existing projects. Staff perform construction inspections for RTP projects statewide. Provide oversight to RTP Advisory Committee, run annual review efforts, and submit recommendations to Governor’s office for project awards. 

 

Blackwater has also worked to design project entry web app and database for the Recreational Trails Program.  As part of this GIS and data management effort we upload RTP projects into a GIS database, manage grant data, and perform GIS analysis of site conditions to support Program’s coordination with other SHA offices and sponsors.